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Laura Ashley, which now focuses on “traditional English” furnishings and branded hotels and tearooms, is the latest famous high-street name looking at a difficult future in the face of competition from online sales and out-of-town retail, plus rising taxes and input inflation, and a squeeze on household spending.

Sean Anglim, Laura Ashley’s finance director, said there had been an “overall toughening of the market” as a result of increased online competition, citing specialist online firms such as Made.com and Loaf.